Page 53 of Single Malt Drama
Marco
What should have takenan hour tops ended up eating most of the day. I’d followed my father’s instructions to the letter, which included sending Maggie’s press release, and the financial records to back it up, to over a hundred media outlets. Once that momentous task was finished, I’d arranged for Tara, Pete, and the kids to stay at my family’s vacation home in Gulfport. By the time I’d organized transportation, security, housekeeping, food deliveries, and ordered enough toys to fill a box truck, I was exhausted.
What’s taking Nico so long?
I glanced at the clock and frowned. Not only had I skipped lunch, I’d missed the local evening news. I hit the power button on the TV remote to search for national coverage. The screen came to life and my knees gave out.
Sinking onto the edge of the bed, I stared at the picture of my father I’d sent out with the press releases. The news feed crawling across the bottom of the screen consisted of quotes from the statement, and the banner below my father’s face read, “Dying Man Exposes Decades of Corruption in New Orleans.”
“Holy shit.” Still holding the remote in my hand, I jogged down the hall and pounded on Enzo’s door. “Enzo? Shanna? You guys decent?”
“No!” they shouted.
Having no desire to see my brother in all his naked glory a second time I yelled, “You might want to turn on the television.”
Movement inside the room told me they’d heard me. A minute or two later, Enzo opened the door wearing a pair of jeans and a scowl. “What’s going on?”
I folded my arms and rocked back on my heels. “I sent the story about Pops and Mayor Carter to every media outlet on the list.”
“Oh shit.” He sat on the bed beside Shanna and turned on the television.
“It’s going exactly as planned. Better, actually. Since the news broke, people are coming out of the woodwork to accuse Carter of everything from blackmail and extortion to murder.”
The screen flashed with a red and white Breaking News logo. A petite blonde reporter pressed her finger to her ear and raised her microphone. “I’m reporting from outside a private residence in Lakewood. We’re waiting for Mayor Jefferson Carter to be taken into custody.”
The camera zoomed out to show New Orleans’ finest dragging Carter out of his house and shoving him into the back of a police cruiser.
“Oh my God.” Shanna glanced between Enzo and me with wide-eyes. “We did it.”
Enzo frowned. “What are they saying about Pops?”
“Not much.” I leaned against the wall as Enzo flipped between channels. It seemed like the coverage focused on Carter. Only a few reporters mentioned our father, and of those who did, none as much as hinted at our rumored affiliation with the mob.
Shanna whistled. “Maggie must have done an incredible job spinning the story. I thought they’d eat Papa Joe alive, but the media is acting like he’s a hero.”
Let’s hope it stays that way.“That’s because he’s either golfed, played poker, or vacationed with most of the media conglomerate owners.”
Shanna frowned. “Is there anything the Marchionnis don’t have their fingers in?”
“There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere.” I pushed off the wall and plopped into a chair near the window.
“Thank you for your restraint.” Enzo turned to Shanna. “To answer your question, if it can benefit Pops, he’s involved.”
“I’ll let you two lovebirds get back to whatever it is you were doing.” I pushed to my feet.
Enzo stood and grabbed my shoulder hard enough to prove a point, but I had no idea what. “Not so fast. Did Tara and her kids get settled?”
I spun out of his grasp. “Yeah. She called when they arrived. She seemed happy with the place.”
“I thought they went to Jack’s old fishing cabin. It’s a dump and not great for young kids.” Shanna had made arrangements with Jack, her best-friend, for Tara and the boys to stay at his place in the bayou. I didn’t know him well, but we’d crossed paths at Chamber of Commerce functions in the Quarter. He’d always seemed like a decent guy.
I shook my head. “Pops didn’t want to take a chance on her getting lost between now and her flight to Palermo. He had her put up in our vacation villa in Gulfport. It’s four bedrooms, oceanfront, and behind a wall. Plus, I ordered around the clock security for her family. She’ll be safe there.”
“That sounds a heck of a lot better than Jack’s place.” Shanna shook her head.
I shoved my hands in my pockets. “About that…Do you think he’d mind if someone else used the cabin?”
“I don’t think so, but I should ask.” She tilted her head. “Why?”